Songfacts®:

• "Let's Have a Party" was written by Jessie Mae Robinson, a pioneering African American songwriter whose work has been performed by artists ranging from Nina Simone to Lana Del Rey. Elvis Presley introduced the song to the public in his 1957 film Loving You under the title "Party." Rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson later recorded it for her self-titled debut album in 1958.
• Jackson's version of "Let's Have a Party," released as a single in 1960, became a hit, reaching #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #32 on the UK chart. It later enjoyed a resurgence in popularity when it appeared in the 1989 coming-of-age film Dead Poets Society, starring Robin Williams. It plays during the scene when Steven Meeks and Gerard Pitts dance on the rooftop at Welton Academy.
• Sir Paul McCartney included a cover of "Let's Have a Party" on his 1999 album Run Devil Run, despite admitting in the liner notes that the song's quirky lyric ("Never kissed a bear, never kissed a goon") initially stumped him. "Whenever we used to try and get the words, we'd get stuck on the verse," he said. "'Never kissed a bear, never kissed a goon.' We could never get it. At the end, that's me going, 'I'm not giving up man.'"
  
  Other notable covers include versions by Mud, Sonia, and Dr. Feelgood. Led Zeppelin also included the song in their live sets, as heard on their acclaimed live album How the West Was Won.
• In 1995, Jackson rerecorded "Let's Have a Party" for her studio album of the same name. This version, released exclusively in Europe, features The Alligators, a Danish rock band.
• A testament to its enduring legacy, Jackson's recording of "Let's Have a Party" was inducted into the prestigious Grammy Hall of Fame in 2024. Elle King, who previously collaborated with Jackson on the song "Two Shots," performed a rendition of the song at the induction ceremony in May 2024.